Supported composition and the use thereof in methods for the hydroformylation of unsaturated compounds

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition comprising: a) at least one support material; b) at least one metal selected from transition group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements and c) at least one compound of the formula (I) R′-A-R″ (I), where A, R′ and R″ are each an organic radical, where R′ and R″ have the structural element —O—P(—O—) 2 with trivalent P and are bonded covalently to the A radical via the latter, with the proviso that R′≠R″, to a process for producing such a composition, to the use of the composition and to a process and an apparatus for hydroformylation in which the composition is used.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition comprising:
 a) at least one support material which is porous; 
 b) at least one metal selected from transition group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements; 
 c) at least one compound of the formula (II) 
 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
       2. The composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the porous support material has the following surface parameters:
 i) mean pore diameter within a range from 1 to 423 nm; 
 ii) pore volume within a range from 0.1 to 2 mL/g; 
 iii) BET surface area within a range from 10 to 2050 m 2 /g. 
 
     
     
       3. The composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the porous support material includes oxides of silicon, of aluminum, of titanium or of zirconium or activated carbon, or consists of mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       4. The composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the metal is selected from cobalt, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium. 
     
     
       5. The composition as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the metal is rhodium. 
     
     
       6. A process for producing a composition as claimed in  claim 1 , having the steps of:
 A) initially charging a precursor of at least one compound of a metal from transition group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements; 
 B) contacting at least one compound of a metal from transition group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements with a molar excess of at least one organic phosphorus compound of the formula (II) 
 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
          using an inert solvent; 
         C) adding at least one porous inert support material to the mixture generated in B); 
         D) removing the inert solvent to obtain the composition. 
       
     
     
       7. A process for hydroformylating unsaturated compounds, characterized in that a composition as claimed in  claim 1  is used as catalyst. 
     
     
       8. The process as claimed in  claim 7 , characterized in that a fixed bed reactor containing the composition is used. 
     
     
       9. The process as claimed in  claim 7 , characterized in that the unsaturated compounds are selected from C 2 -C 4  olefins and the industrial mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       10. The process as claimed in  claim 9 , characterized in that the unsaturated compounds are selected from ethene, propene, butenes and the industrial mixtures thereof.